1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to light emitting devices and, more particularly, to white light emitting diodes and multi-colored light emitting device assemblies with a tuned spatial emission pattern and color temperature profile.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light emitting diodes (LED or LEDs) are solid state devices that convert electric energy to light, and generally comprise one or more active layers of semiconductor material sandwiched between oppositely doped layers. Typically, wire bonds are used to apply a bias across the doped layers, injecting holes and electrons into the active layer where they recombine to generate light. Light is emitted from the active layer and from all surfaces of the LED. A typical high efficiency LED comprises an LED chip mounted to an LED package and encapsulated by a transparent medium. The efficient extraction of light from LEDs is a major concern in the fabrication of high efficiency LEDs.
LEDs can be fabricated to emit light in various colors. However, conventional LEDs cannot generate white light from their active layers. Light from a blue emitting LED has been converted to white light by surrounding the LED with a yellow phosphor, polymer or dye, with a typical phosphor being cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Ce:YAG). [See Nichia Corp. white LED, Part No. NSPW300BS, NSPW312BS, etc.; See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,316 to Lowrey, “Multiple Encapsulation of Phosphor-LED Devices”]. The surrounding phosphor material “downconverts” the energy of some of the LED's blue light which increases the wavelength of the light, changing its color to yellow. Some of the blue light passes through the phosphor without being changed while a portion of the light is downconverted to yellow. The LED emits both blue and yellow light, which combine to provide a white light. In another approach light from a violet or ultraviolet emitting LED has been converted to white light by surrounding the LED with multicolor phosphors or dyes.
It is noted that throughout the application reference is made to two different angles of interest. The first is the viewing angle which is shown as exemplary θv in FIG. 1a. The viewing angle is measured from the optic axis which in this case runs through the center of the hemispherical encapsulant and is perpendicular to the flat edge of the encapsulant. A viewing angle of zero degrees (0°) indicates that the output from the encapsulant is being viewed (or measured) from a point outside the encapsulant that is directly opposite the source, i.e., head-on. The viewing angle increases as the device is tilted with respect to the viewer. A viewing angle of ninety degrees (90°) indicates that the output is being measured from an angle that is perpendicular to the optic axis and even with the flat edge of the encapsulant, i.e., directly from the side.
The second angle that is referenced is the emission angle which is shown as θe in FIG. 1a. The emission angle shares the same optic axis with the viewing angle. It measures the angle from the optic axis at which a light ray initially propagates in the encapsulant after it is emitted from the source. A light ray that initially propagates from the source along the optic axis (e.g., ray R1) has an emission angle of 0°. As shown ray θe is approximately forty degrees (40). The emission angle increases as the direction of initial propagation deviates from the optic axis. An important difference between the two angles is that the output profile at a given viewing angle is affected by scattering events inside the encapsulant, whereas the emission angle describes the direction of the light as it is initially emitted from the source before it can interact with materials within the encapsulant.
Various coating processes of LEDs have been considered, including spin coating, spray coating, electrostatic deposition (ESD), and electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Processes such as spin coating or spray coating typically utilize a binder material during the phosphor deposition, while other processes require the addition of a binder immediately following their deposition to stabilize the phosphor particles/powder.
A common type of LED packaging where a phosphor is introduced over an LED is known as a “glob-in-a-cup” method. An LED chip resides at the bottom of a cup-like recession, and a phosphor containing material (e.g. phosphor particles distributed in an encapsulant such as silicone or epoxy) is injected into and fills the cup, surrounding and encapsulating the LED. The encapsulant material is then cured to harden it around the LED. This packaging, however, can result in an LED package having significant variation of the color temperature of emitted light at different viewing angles with respect to the package. This color variation can be caused by a number of factors, including the different path lengths that light can travel through the conversion material. This problem can be made worse in packages where the phosphor containing matrix material extends above the “rim” of the cup in which the LED resides, resulting in a predominance of converted light emitted sideways into high viewing angles (e.g., at 90 degrees from the optic axis). The result is that the white light emitted by the LED package becomes non-uniform and can have bands or patches of light having different colors or intensities.
Another method for packaging or coating LEDs comprises direct coupling of phosphor particles onto the surfaces of the LED using methods such as electrophoretic deposition. This process uses electrostatic charge to attract phosphor particles to the surface of the LED chip that is charged. This method can result in improvement of the color uniformity as a function of viewing angle with one reason for this improvement being the source of the converted light and unconverted light being at close to the same point in space. For example, a blue emitting LED covered by a yellow converting material can provide a substantially uniform white light source because the converting material and LED are close to the same point in space. This method can present inconsistencies due to difficulties in controlling electrostatic charges across many LEDs in a mass production environment.
A known approach to addressing these inconsistencies to improve the spatial color temperature uniformity of the emitted light is to randomize the path of outgoing light rays using light scattering particles. FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate a light emitting device 100 employing this approach. FIG. 1a represents a cross-section of the known device taken along section line 1a (shown in FIG. 1b). A light source 102 is disposed on a substrate 104. A layer of downconverting material 106 covers the light source 102. A reflector 108 is disposed around the light source 102 on the substrate 104 such that the light source 102 is housed in a cavity defined by the reflector 108 and the substrate 104. A hemispherical encapsulant 110 is disposed over the light source 102. The encapsulant 110 may be mounted over the light source 102 using an epoxy adhesive, for example, although other mounting methods may also be used. Light scattering particles 112 are disposed throughout the encapsulant 110.
Light rays R1-R4 model the paths of exemplary photons that are emitted from the source 102. As shown, R1 is emitted and passes through a length (l1) of the downconverting material 106 where there is a probability that the light experiences a wavelength conversion. It is noted that the probability that a photon will be downconverted (i.e., absorbed and re-emitted) increases with the distance that the photon travels through the downconverting material 106. Thus, R2 which travels a greater distance (l2) through the downconverting material 106 has a greater chance of being downconverted. It follows that, depending on the shape of the downconverting layer, the percentage of light that experiences a downconversion upon passing through the downconverting layer 106 is a function of the angle of emission from the source 102. Without light scattering particles, the emission spectrum would exhibit a pronounced pattern, producing a light spot with variances in color temperature and intensity often noticeable to the human eye. Such non-uniformities can render a light emitting device undesirable for certain applications.
After passing through the downconverting material 106, the light enters the encapsulant 110. The light scattering particles 112 distributed throughout the encapsulant 110 are designed to redirect the individual photons before they are emitted to randomize the point where the photons exit the encapsulant 110. This has the effect of improving spatial color temperature uniformity. For example, R1 collides with a light scattering particle 112, changes direction, and is emitted as shown. R1 exits the encapsulant 110 at a different point than it would have if no scattering particles were present. R3 experiences multiple scattering events. R2 and R4 pass through the encapsulant unimpeded. Thus, the light scattering particles randomize (to a certain degree) the point at which emitted photons exit the encapsulant 110 by disassociating the photons from their initial emission angle.